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Hollywood’s Holiday Weekend Bad News Dump

With Maria Shriver and Fox making big announcements Friday, this July 4th weekend is on trend as a historically good time to release negative revelations.

It’s a widely-known rule of thumb by Hollywood insiders that the best time to release bad news is just before—or during—a holiday weekend. The news dump, as its called, is ideal for lessening the impact of a potentially large story because the public is likely not paying as much attention to their regular news feeds due to celebratory and vacations.

This 4th of July weekend has proven to be no different, as three such stories were released Friday.

1. Maria Shriver files for divorce from Arnold Schwarzenegger. The former first lady of California waited nearly two months after announcing her separation from Schwarzenegger, who revealed he’d fathered an illegititmate child with the couple’s household employee during he and Shriver’s 25-year marriage. Shriver, who is asking for joint custody of the couple’s underage sons Patrick and Christopher, signed the divorce documents June 18, but waited until the Friday before the Independence Day weekend to file time with the Los Angeles Superior Court.

2. Fox releases news that Chord Overstreet will not be a Glee series regular in Season 3. Just two weeks after co-creator Ryan Murphy discussed plans for most of the series’ original cast members, Fox revealed Friday evening that fan-favorite, Chord Overstreet (who plays Sam Evans in the musical show) would not be returning to the show as a main character next season. The network’s Overstreet revelation also managed to overshadow news that actors Harry Shum Jr. and Darren Criss would be made Glee regulars for the third season.

3. Linda Evangelista namesSalma Hayek’s husband Francois-Henri Pinault as the father of her son. The supermodel ousted Hayek’s French billionaire husband, the CEO at fashion company PPR, as the father of her four-year-old son, Augustin James Evangelista (who’s the same age as Pinault’s daughter, Valentina, with Hayek) in Manhattan court Thursday. Evangelista filed a petition seeking child support from Pinault after years of denying reports that he was the father. One might surmise that information obtained from Evangelista's Thursday day court appearance, perhaps knowingly wouldn't have appeared in the news until Friday.

What Hollywood weekend "bad news" stories from the past are most memorable for all the wrong reasons? Tell us in the comments.